KTLA marked the 75th anniversary of a groundbreaking event in television news, April 8-10 1949. You can read the full story in my book, Inventing TV News, Live and Local in Los Angeles. I was interviewed for a special report on the historic achievement.  Watch it here:

I wrote the book while I was the co-anchor of KTLA News at Ten and teaching journalism at the USC Annenberg School. It tells the thrilling true stories of the early days of TV news in Los Angeles.

Inventing TV News is a trip back in time to the invention of Breaking News coverage, live and local in Los Angeles.

Everyone’s Child, 1949:

Two rival stations in Los Angeles televise the attempted rescue of a toddler from an abandoned well pipe. For the first time, TV provides live images of breaking news as it happens. Led by TV engineering pioneer Klaus Landsberg, KTLA is first on the air.

Covering Crime, 1951:

An eight-year-old girl is abducted from a movie theater by a known sex offender. With live coverage of the shocking crime, TV news embraces the motto: If it bleeds, it leads.

The Atom Bomb, 1952:

A local TV station brings the Cold War into America’s living rooms when the TV networks in New York said it couldn’t be done.

The Telecopter, 1958:

A brave engineer risks his life to invent the world’s first TV helicopter. Will a crash on live TV prevent aerial breaking news coverage from getting off the ground?

Celebrity News Anchors, 1970s:

Competing anchormen in Los Angeles define the image of local TV news presenters in popular culture, inspiring characters in movies and TV sitcoms.

Inventing TV news takes you behind the scenes of legendary broadcasts to meet the heroes and rogues who pioneered live TV coverage as we know it today. Download the ebook on Amazon, or order a print book to be shipped to you.

The book is also available on Apple, Barnes & Noble and all ebook platforms.